The Worldhopper's Field Guide to Pokearth
by GaliCat
Summary: Another fun little project of mine: what good is a Pokedex if you never know where to find the Pokemon? And while you're adventuring, why not see the sights? Beginning with Pallet Town, this handy guide will assist you on the history, biomes, inhabitants, and attractions of each special part of the Poke-world. NOT TAKING REQUESTS.


Field Guide to Pokearth: Pallet Town

A small, relatively nondescript town formed around Professor Samuel Oak's laboratory, Pallet Town is a place of dirt trails and wide, grassy fields. Its oldest attraction is, of course, Professor Oak's lab and the surrounding Oak Corral, but more recently, the ancient ruins of Pokemopolis have been discovered within Pallet Forest, drawing more attention to this small town.

As Pallet Town exists on a wooded peninsula, many water-type Pokemon can be caught on its shores, and other types of Pokemon, mainly bug-types like Spinarak and Ledyba, live within its trees. Even the rare and elusive Mew was once seen within its forests, although its fate remains unknown. Pikachu are also common around Pallet Town – as pests that chew electrical cords, steal food, and never, EVER get caught at it. Since Pikachu are intelligent, relatively rare Pokemon that live in packs, they have been able to get legal protection from deadly "Poke-traps" once set to terminate the species. Be on your guard for mischievous electric rodents!

History: Despite the dangers of Pokemopolis, archeological research is still going on, with the recent discovery of an all-new artifact: a large orb of solid jade. As previously uncovered artifacts from Pokemopolis contained uber-powerful Pokemon hidden within them, the Jade Orb, as it is called, has been carefully hidden away from prying eyes as Oak and his assistants seek to research its properties. From the painted carvings on the walls of the temple, it appears that the orb was used to summon Rayquaza, the legendary dragon that is said to be able to calm Kyogre and Groudon's constant warring. Given the warring nature of the giant Pokemon found within the previous artifacts, perhaps the ancient natives worshiped Rayquaza in hope that it would bring peace back to their land, should the ancient beings of destruction ever break free from their bonds. From the condition of their temple, it is clear that Rayquaza did not come; at least, not in time to save them.

_Beware the two great powers of destruction,_

_the shadow of the dark device will grapple with the prisoner of the unearthly urn._

_The sacred city will be no more as day is swallowed up by night._

_Darker still for you when they return to lay waste to the world,_

_but no human knows the secret to soothe the powers and guide them back to the shadow world._

_The Prophecy of Pokemopolis_

Biome:

Within Pallet Forest, Wurmple and Ledyba take on the lowest roles in the Pokemon food chain, Ledyba being a pollinator that keeps the trees alive, and Wurmple a herbivore that feeds heavily off of plants and defends itself with poison spikes on its rear.

Both species are preyed upon by the Spinarak, whose webs litter the forest to ensnare any hapless bug that wanders in too closely. Those unfortunates who entangle themselves in the web first get poisoned, then have their bodily fluids sucked out to nourish the crafty Spinarak. Wurmple especially fear Spinarak because Wurmple's poison spikes have no effect on them, but Wurmple's counter-advantage is that the Spinarak's poison cannot affect it either.

Ledyba also fear the Pineco, bug-type Pokemon that latch onto tree branches and disguise themselves as pine cones to lure their flying insect prey close. When the prey gets close enough to touch it, the Pineco explode, dropping both itself and its prey from the air onto the ground. This process damages the Pineco as well as its prey, but the Pineco recovers by sucking the life out of its unlucky victim, then rapidly spins back up the tree to latch back onto its branch and await its next meal.

Despite their enmity, all bug Pokemon within the forest have a common foe in the flying-types within the forest: Pidgey, Hoothoot, and Spearow. Pidgey are the meekest flying-types, preferring not to fight unless hungry; as such, they are taken as easy prey from the far more aggressive Spearow, which can be easily mistaken for Pidgey by the uninitiated. Pidgey and Spearow hunt during the day, but Hoothoot emerges only at night, not wishing to become a Spearow meal.

Hoothoot and Spearow also prey upon Rattatta, who themselves scavenge for whatever food they can find in the forest, including nuts, berries, and unlucky Wurmple. Rattatta get along well with Pikachu, another rodent Pokemon, because Pikachu's thunderbolts can down even the most vicious Spearow; however, Pikachu themselves are not carnivorous, preferring instead to live off of the fruits pollinated by the Ledyba. And so the balance of nature continues.

Carvings found in Pokemopolis indicate that Teddiursa, or perhaps a now-extinct relative, used to roam the area, but they appear to have been wiped out by overhunting. Perhaps this explains the rage of the ancient Pokemon "gods," a giant Gengar and an enormous Alakazam, that the Pokemopolians once worshiped in fear.

Notable citizens:

Professor Samuel Oak was once considered the prime authority on Pokemon knowledge. However, with the rampant discovery of new Pokemon species as a result of Oak's Pokedex finding its way into the hands of many young trainers, it appears that Oak's initial knowledge was not so exhaustive after all. Still, Oak's insistence on continuing to learn as much as possible, even in his old age, indicates that the professor inside him is still going as strong as possible.

The professor has two male assistants and one female. The first male assistant is Oak's son and the father of Oak's grandchildren; the second, Tracy Sketchit, is a gentle soul known for spending every spare moment sketching the Pokemon within Oak's property. The female assistant, Eve, is a talented archeologist made famous for the discovery of the notorious Temple of Pokemopolis – despite the fact that its discovery nearly doomed the world to destruction via an earth-shaking battle between gigantic Pokemon.

While Oak's grandson is usually off on Pokemon-related business, Daisy Oak, the professor's granddaughter, still resides at the Oak residence. Any hopes of encountering Champion Red will have to be forestalled, as he also is away on business known only to himself.

Five things to see in Pallet Town:

The Oak Pokemon Research Laboratory is easily recognized by its wind turbine and by the surrounding Oak Corral. Drop in for a visit, and perhaps the professor will give you one of his prized Pokemon and a Pokedex to start you out on your very own Pokemon journey. If not, well... stay out of the tall grass (unless, of course, you already have a Pokemon of your own!) It is advised that you do not touch the mysterious machine within the lab, as you may be electrocuted.

The Oak Corral is home to many species of Pokemon and contains many different environments to suit each species, such as desert, meadow, and lakeside areas. Please ask permission of Professor Oak before entering – villains such as the Rocket organization have attempted to steal these Pokemon before, and even if your intentions are pure, the Pokemon themselves may not trust you if you come in uninvited. Also be aware that the Pokemon within the corral do not always get along and may engage in battle within your vicinity, so always be on your guard for stray misfires.

Pallet Forest is home to several wild Pokemon species, mostly birds, bugs, and rodents. However, a wild Mew was once sighted within these forests by Professor Oak's grandson, leading to a mad chase by Rocket agents to capture the elusive and powerful legendary Pokemon. Mew's fate is unknown at this time; however, given the existence of Mewtwo, Rocket's genetic Pokemon, it can be assumed that one way or another, the Rockets got what they were after.

The Pokemopolis Ruins exist deep within Pallet Forest and are an awesome sight to see, a monument to the ancient past. Unfortunately, due to the one-time accidental misuse of its dangerous artifacts, entry to the ruins themselves has been roped off. Please stay behind the barriers while admiring the ruins, unless you want to become history yourself.

The Oak residence is usually only occupied by Oak's granddaughter Daisy, but is worth visiting regardless, particularly between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, when Daisy and her Pokemon have tea. All trainers and their Pokemon are welcome to join them, but if you come with a scruffy-looking Pokemon, you must allow Daisy to groom it first before partaking of tea and cookies.


End file.
